1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for fault isolation of failures in system interfaces.
2. Description of Related Art
Historically, isolation of failures in complex system interfaces such as those found in aircraft has been impossible without complete removal of the interface cables and other components from the system for testing. Removal and replacement of cables is often time-consuming, and can be especially disadvantageous in combat situations.
This disadvantage is compounded by the fact that fault isolation in complex system interfaces has generally required a large number of test sets, adding to the cost, inconvenience, and difficulty of performing fault isolation. Typical components which may need to be tested include: phase and/or time matched RF cables and/or RF cable strings; passive RF components such as: RF dividers, couplers, switches and antennas; data communication components such as: MIL-STD-1553 bus cables, couplers and connectors; parallel bus cables and junction boxes; and general system interface wiring and connections. No current test system is capable of field testing of all of these components without requiring removal of at least the interface cables and the use of a plurality of different test sets.
Additional disadvantages of currently deployed test sets for system interfaces include: low accuracy and an inability to test time matched RF cables. The low accuracy makes it impossible to resolve failures caused, for instance, by a defective or improperly mated RF connector, while the inability to perform time matching tests precludes testing of modern avionics. These capabilities are presently available only in laboratory instruments, which are unsuitable for the type of fault isolation to which the present invention relates.
Another disadvantage of currently deployed test sets is the inability to easily tailor them for specific applications. The above list of components is by no means exclusive, and each interface is arranged in a different fashion, making customization essential.